


Not That Bad

by mybrianisfried



Category: Carry On Series - Rainbow Rowell
Genre: (well one sunrise), Enemies to Lovers, Fifth Year, First Kiss, Fluff, M/M, Penelope Bunce (mentioned) - Freeform, Sunrises
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-21
Updated: 2019-09-21
Packaged: 2020-10-25 11:27:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,807
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20723450
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mybrianisfried/pseuds/mybrianisfried
Summary: Simon and Baz are lost in the Wavering Wood together.





	Not That Bad

I’m lost in the Wavering Wood, and it’s all Baz’s fault.

I’m not completely sure what his plan is. (Maybe _ this _ is his plan. Making me think we’re lost and then leaving me to die, or at least leaving me lost by myself.)

“I hate you,” I say.

“You’re the one who got us lost.”

“You’re the one who dragged me out here for some evil plan.”

“There is no evil plan,” he replies. I just stare at him. “Fine, there was. But it doesn’t matter, because you got us lost.”

I should have marked the trees. I should have placed stones on the way, even _ breadcrumbs _ would be better than this. I should have done _ something _ to make sure I wouldn’t get lost. (I couldn’t care less about Baz getting lost. Better him plotting lost in the forest than anywhere else.)

“I didn’t get us lost!” I argue. He rolls his eyes. “I didn’t!”

“We wouldn’t have gotten lost if you weren’t an idiot, Snow.”

I take a deep breath. “We won’t get anywhere if we keep arguing about who got us lost.” It _ was _ him, though.

“Look at you, springing into action. Can your sword find where Watford is? Because that’s the solution to all your problems.”

I growl.

“It’s probably after curfew, the drawbridge is up anyways.”

“I would have thought you would have known a spell to get over it.”

“**Float like a butterfly **is an advanced spell, Snow.”

“Fuck,” I say, and stop walking. “We’re going around in circles.”

“I could have told you that. We’ve been here at least three times.” He gestures to the tree stump.

“Fuck off.” I turn away and rack my brain to think of a spell to get us back. I bet Baz knows one, and he’s not telling me. That would be just like him.

I sit down on the stump while Baz paces.

“Would you _ stop _ that? You’re annoying me.”

“Good,” he tells me. “You got us lost in the Wavering Wood, and you still haven’t realised how bad the situation is.”

“I’m aware of the situation, Baz.”

He sighs. “I’ll be right back.”

“You’re _ not _leaving me here alone.”

“Why not?”

“A, it’s dark and the only light we have is from your wand.”

“Not my fault you didn’t bring yours.”

“B, you can’t leave me alone in the Wavering Wood.”

“Why not?”

I stare at him. “It’s the Wavering Wood.”

“Are you afraid of the _ dark_, Snow?”

“I wouldn’t follow you around the Catacombs if I was. I just don’t want to be left alone in the Wood with no light for the rest of the night.”

“Fine.”

“What?”

“I’ll stay.”

“_Really? _”

“Do you want me to stay or not?”

“I do.”

“Then shut up.” He sits down near the stump, with his back to a tree. I probably should have let him go. He most likely would have went and drained some animal and gotten even more lost than we already are. But I just couldn’t risk it. What if this is all some evil plan?

And also… I really don’t want to be left alone in the dark.

I notice he’s hugging himself for warmth.

“Are you cold?” I ask.

“I’m _ fine_.”

I slide down next to him and put my arms around him. I’m not even sure why. I don’t really want him to freeze to death _ here _.

“I don’t need your help,” he snaps and shakes my arms off.

“What about my jumper?”

“What did I _ just _say?”

“Well, I can’t very well leave you freezing.”

“Yes you can. I would leave _ you _freezing.”

“You would?” I shouldn’t be surprised, and I’m not. It’s Baz, of course he wouldn’t care.

“Yes. It’s the perfect plan. You freeze to death, leave me alone forever, and everything is perfect.”

“For you, you mean.”

“Well, of course.”

“I wouldn’t let _ you _die in the Wavering Wood. At least not yet.”

He snorts. “Waiting for a full moon?”

I roll my eyes. “I mean- We have to fight, right? Eighth year?”

He almost smiles. Or maybe that’s my imagination. “Fair enough, Snow.”

“Are you still cold?” I ask.

“It doesn’t matter.”

I pull him closer to me. He doesn’t push me away this time. He leans in, just a little.

“Are you tired?”

“A little bit,” I admit. And I must be drifting off, because I’m not sure what he says next. 

\---

I wake up right before sunrise with Baz in my arms. Strange.

The even stranger thing is that it’s nice. (Maybe _this _is his evil plan.)

No one likes being in a forest by themselves. Was it a comfort having Baz there? _ Here_. He’s here, in my arms, and we’re lying down on grass and dirt. (It’s not a comfort. No one wants to be lost in the Wavering Wood by themselves.)

I don’t move. I’m not sure why. I close my eyes again. 

_ Good thing it didn’t rain_, I think. Baz is moving slightly, and I feel him get up, rather gently.

“Wake up, Snow.” I open my eyes, and it’s fucking infuriating. He looks _ perfect_, and he just spent the night on a forest floor. He should have leaves in his hair, like I do. I sit up and run my fingers through my hair to get rid of them.

“I’m up,” I say.

“Now get up.”

“Why?’

“'_Why? _’ It’s sunrise. Let’s get to Watford.”

“Do you suddenly know what direction it is?”

“Climb a tree to see.”

“What?”

“It’s day. We can see around us. Now climb a tree.”

“Ugh.” I stand up. “I’ve been awake three minutes and you’re already telling me to do things.”

“Well it’s not exactly like you can have breakfast first.”

I sigh and start climbing the tree next to me. “If I fall, it’s your fault.”

“If you fall, you should have been more careful. What can you see?”

“Nothing yet.” I climb a little higher.

“Yes?” he says impatiently.

“Er… Oh! I can see Watford!”

“_Where? _”

“East.”

“Do you even know what direction east is?”

“No, but I know what direction Watford is.”

“Get down then.”

“You know, it’s really pretty up here.”

“That’s nice, now, do you want to stay up there like a lunatic or do you want to get to Watford?”

“Come up here,” I say.

“Why?”

“To look at the sunrise.” I look down, and he sighs, but starts climbing like I did. “See?” I say when he pulls himself up to a branch near me.

He takes a moment to look at the rising sun. “Fine, it’s pretty.” 

I look at him with the corner of my eye. He has an unreadable sort of expression. Like he’s about to attack, but not quite.

We’re actually pretty close to each other.

“Move,” he says all of a sudden.

“What?”

“_Move. _”

“Wh-” 

I can barely get anything out before he says “Trust me” and pulls me off my branch. I hear some cracking, and then something falls.

_ The branch was going to break. _

_ The branch was going to break, and the only thing stopping me from falling is Baz’s hand. _

My enemy’s hand. My enemy’s hand is the only thing stopping me from falling to my death, or at least near death. I’m holding his hand. (It’s rough and scratchy, in case you were wondering.)

“Grab another branch. _ Carefully_.”

I do, and then we both climb down with my heart beating a mile a minute.

“How did you know it was going to break?” I ask when we’re both back on the ground.

“I heard it crack.”

“You must have really good hearing.” He’s a vampire, _ of course _ he has good hearing.

He doesn’t reply.

“You said you would let me die if you had a chance to, so why didn’t you? It could have been a perfect plan.”

“Aren’t you glad all your bones are fine?”

“I am, but why?”

“None of your business.”

“It concerns me.”

He stops walking, and turns to me. “Look, Simon, it doesn’t matter. Now stop bothering me.”

“Okay.” I stay quiet for a moment and we keep on walking. “So was the sunrise nice?”

He sighs. “Yes, Snow, it was lovely. Happy?”

I smile. “Yes, actually.”

“It might take us hours to get back. Why did you ever come here in the first place?”

I shrug. “I needed to make sure you weren’t putting anyone else in danger. What was your evil plan anyway?”

“It doesn’t matter now.”

“Okay, I respond. “I don’t mind walking for hours. Good opportunity to skip Political Science.”

He laughs. “I don’t think we’ll be gone that long.” (Baz _ laughed_. He actually _ laughed_. And not an evil laugh.)

“Oh well.” I smile. “You know, Baz…”

“What?”

“This isn’t half bad.”

“Being lost in the Wavering Wood with me?”

“It isn’t terrible.”

He laughs again. (I want to record that sound and play it every single day.) “What a compliment.”

“Don’t expect any better.”

“I would never.” Silence. Then my stomach growls. “It won’t take us hours,” he says.

“What?”

“Half an hour, forty-five minutes. Around there.”

“Oh.”

“You won’t miss breakfast.”

“That’s good.”

“Yeah…”

“Last night… You needed blood, didn’t you?” He doesn’t reply. “You can go hunt. I won’t mind.”

“You’ll tell everyone about it, won’t you? How I’m a bloodeater. How I’m a bloodsucking _ vampire_.”

“Have you ever bitten a human?”

“No.”

“Would you ever?”

“_No. _”

“Then I won’t tell.”

“Why not?” He seems suspicious.

I shrug. “Does it matter?”

“Yes.”

“Fine, but you have to tell me why you saved me.”

He’s quiet for a moment. “Fine.”

“I just needed to know that you wouldn’t be a danger to other people. I don’t care if you eat some rats or something. I just wanted to make sure you weren’t going to kill me.”

“I don’t _ eat _ them, I just drain them. And anyway, I’m not going to kill you _ now_.”

“Why not? Why didn’t you?”

“Maybe I didn’t want to be accused of murdering my roommate.”

“Is that it?”

“Yes,” he says, and walks off quickly, but I catch up.

“Why did you hate me before you even met me?”

“Why not? You’re the Mage’s heir. You’re on _ his _side.” He sneers.

“We could have been friends,” I say. He snorts.

“That’s right, and then we could have held hands and sung songs about how beautiful friendship is.”

I roll my eyes. (It must be rubbing off from Penny.) “I’m just saying-”

“What? What are you saying, Snow?”

“You’ve called me Simon before, you know.”

“When?”

“Well, er, I don’t remember the exact time, but it happened.”

“Ah.”

“Don’t say it like that, I know it did!”

“I’m _ sure_.”

I push him, smiling. (I didn’t push him roughly. I don’t think I could now.)

“I’ll be right back,” he says.

“I’ll be here.”

“I’ll call out when I’m done.”

“I’ll reply.” Then he walks farther away until I can’t even see him. I sit down against a tree and start to dig a hole with a stick.

A couple minutes later, I hear his voice through the trees.

“Simon?”

“You called me Simon!” I yell in his direction. He soon appears between a couple of trees, looking flush with colour.

“I did. Would you prefer Chosen One?”

I smile again. I think this is the most we’ve smiled in each other’s company. “I like Simon, actually.”

I stand up, and we keep on walking.

“Do you want to date Agatha?” I ask at one point. He snorts. Again.

“No. Definitely not.”

“Oh. Then why-”

“It’s fun to mess with you, Snow. Do _ you _want to date her?”

“I mean… who wouldn’t?” He looks away. “Apart from you, I guess. Why don’t you want to?”

He sighs. “I’m gay.”

“Oh. _ Oh_. Okay.”

“I really don’t need a reaction.”

“That was barely a reaction, but fine.”

“So why Agatha?”

“I don’t know…,” I confess. “She’s beautiful.”

“That’s it?”

“I don’t need to justify this to _you_."

“Fine, then.”

We’re both quiet. “I’m sorry I kept following you around.”

“You’re _ apologising_?”

I shrug. “It seems like the right thing to do.”

“We will never be _ friends_, Snow. You already have too many.”

“I don’t want us to be friends either! You’ve tried to kill me more times than I can count.”

“So we’re in agreement then?”

“I still feel like I should apologise.”

“Well, you did.”

“When I said this wasn’t terrible, I-” But then I trip on a stick, and I end up falling on the ground like an idiot.

He sighs and holds out his hand. I take it and he pulls me up.

“Thanks,” I say.

“Don’t thank me,” he replies. “It sounds wrong.”

_ Not as wrong as you helping me up. _“Then don’t help me.”

“Your face looks awful.”

“So does yours,” I retort. He raises his eyebrows. “You look fine,” I say, rolling my eyes. “Better than fine.” Then I mutter “It’s bloody infuriating.” He must have heard me, because he smirks.

“Does your face hurt?”

I bring my fingers up to it. “A bit.”

He takes out his wand and points it at me. ** _“Get well soon!”_ **

“It burns.”

“Do you feel better?”

“Depends. I feel like I’ve dunked my head in hot grease.”

“Well you don’t have any scratches anymore.”

“Thanks,” I say. It doesn’t burn so much now.

“What did I _ just _say about thanking me?”

“If you want me to stop thanking you, stop helping me.”

“Fine, I’ll stop then. Let’s see your face become permanently scarred. What a pity that would be.”

“Oh, shut up.” We walk some more. “This is better than not terrible, actually.”

“Such high praise.”

“I’ll stop following you,” I say.

“If I knew that being lost in the Wavering Wood is all it took for you to stop, I would have done this ages ago.” 

“The sun is up,” I say, pointing to the sky.

“Thank you for that observation. Really, I could have never seen that the sun is up, shining on everything, lighting up the world, without you pointing it out. Can you do that every single day so I don’t have to look at the sky anymore?”

I roll my eyes and we walk in silence for a bit.

“Do you think we’ll get there in time for breakfast?” I ask.

“Well, if we don’t, you can skip Political Science like you wanted to.”

“There’s always a bright side, isn’t there?”

He laughs, but doesn’t smile. “I suppose so.”

“Are you getting a little tired?” I ask after a minute.

“Are you? We can sit down for a minute or so, it’s not like we’re rushing to get back.”

“I’m fine.”

“Okay.” We keep on walking.

“Baz?” I say after a moment, and I think he understands.

“Sit down, Snow. You’ll be no good to any of us if you’re injured.” I sit down against a tree, and so does he.

“Thank-”

“_No. _”

“Fine.”

His hair is falling in his face. It looks nice.

We sit there for about two minutes, but it feels like longer. I think we’re trying not to look at each other. (And I’m pretty sure I’m failing.)

“Better?” he asks me, getting up.

“Yeah.” I stand up. “Thanks.” He stares at me. “I mean, fuck you, Baz. How dare you let me rest,” I say with a smile, and he sighs.

“I suppose that’s better than thanking me. Let’s continue.” We start walking again. I stop. He also stops.

“What?”

“You have a leaf in your hair,” I say, and take it out, holding it up. (Also his hair is soft.) (I think I just really wanted to touch his hair.) He’s looking at me with that same unreadable expression.

“Thanks,” he says.

“Don’t thank me.” I grin. “It sounds wrong.” He rolls his eyes, but smiles back.

“We’re nearly there, I think,” he says.

We walk until we see the football field, then keep on walking until we reach the drawbridge.

“Well,” he says.

“Well,” I echo.

“We should head inside, it’s almost time for lessons.”

“Yeah…”

He starts to walk off, but before I can think about everything, I take his hand and pull him back. He doesn’t pull away.

And then I find myself holding his hand. He isn’t saying anything. I pull him closer.

And then, I’m not entirely sure why, but I kiss him. 

And _ then _ , he starts kissing me _ back_.

I don’t care if I’m changing everything. I think I changed everything last night, the first time I asked him if he was cold.

I don’t care that I’m kissing my _ enemy_. Because he’s really not that bad.

I pull away, and I don’t think he wants to stop.

“Do you want to skip Political Science with me?” I ask, smiling.

He replies immediately. “Merlin, yes.”

**Author's Note:**

> writing this was...an experience. in the best way possible.  
thank you @claramotherfuckingoswald and @dead-meme-dad on tumblr for being really awesome and giving me title ideas, this would have never been posted without them.  
i hope you enjoyed!!


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